My
battle against candida yeast seems to have evolved into a battle against low
basal body temperature.
Fifty
one days ago, I began the anti candida diet. This involves cutting carbohydrates,
taking probiotics and antifungals. For many years, my life has been plagued with health problems, which I believe must be connected: migraines, recurrent
conjunctivitis, bloating, tiredness, dry eyes, dry mouth and itchy skin. I also
had bursitis of the knees which needed an arthroscopy. Sojourns’ syndrome (dry
mouth) and Raynaulds (cold hands and feet), were mentioned by my GP as well as anaemia
and immune issues.
The
ridiculous thing is, I am fit otherwise and love walking, swimming and am able-bodied.
Not
Enough Progesterone Causing Hair Loss
But
the last straw occurred in March 2015 when I started losing hair in patches.
Parts of my scalp were showing through. This marked the beginning of making changes to my diet.
I
searched the Net for possible answers and came up with the candida question.
Could all these symptoms be caused by a yeast overgrowth in the gut? Candida is
said to thrive from a sugary diet and a stressed host. Signs you have yeast
issues are a coating on the tongue, itchy skin and some of the symptoms I have just
described.
Should
You Cut Carbohydrates
 |
| A cure for oral thrush? |
After
52 days, my health has improved; my hair is thicker, I have lost weight and my
skin is clearer. But some of my symptoms persist. It was then I learned that
candida can be the result of another
condition: low body temperature – not always the cause.
So,
even if you follow a healthy diet, the candida can still flourish if your body temperature is below what it should be. In short, every cell of your body
cannot function properly if your core body temperature is below average. The
friendly bacteria don’t like being cold, but the yeast doesn’t mind. This brings a connection between candida and low basal body temperature.
As
discussed in another post here, there are various causes of low body
temperature: hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland) is one. I have been
tested for this condition and the results have come back normal.
This
is when I looked at other possible causes: adrenal exhaustion and estrogen dominance which are chiefly caused by bad diet and stress. Both are explained fully in another post but briefly, both feature
imbalances of hormones.
Candida
and Low Body Temperature
On
day 51 of my anti candida diet, I am feeling generally lousy. I am at the beginning
of my menstrual cycle, when the female body temperature would be a little lower
than normal, but should never dip to below 36.5°C in any 24 hour period.
I
bought myself a digital thermometer, accurately recorded my body temperature and was shocked at my findings.
Yesterday
(day 51) my body temperature barely touched 37°C all day, remaining at or below
36.9°C. But the real shock came when I established my previous night’s basal body temperature (the minimum that occurs early morning before rising). Between
midnight and 4 am, it remained at 36.3°C or below. And at 1.30am, it fell to
36.1°C.
When
Low Body Temperature is Bad for You
I
wasn’t aware that my basal body temperature got that low. But the next day, all
my symptoms drifted back. I have had a vague migraine that clouded the
afternoon, worsening towards evening. I had mild constipation, bloatedness, my
eyes looked bleary and puffy. My oral thrush came back and I felt tired with
dizzy spells.
And
all despite following an anti candida diet.
In
a normally warm room, my hands and feet were cold. Throughout the next day, I
took readings. Shockingly, last night, my basal body temperature fell to just
36.0°C. Since then, it has never reached 37.0°C. Incidentally, my partner felt
compelled to move seats as the radiator made him feel too hot. Meanwhile, I am sitting
next to it, wearing a jumper and my feet are cold.
My
temperature readings today would reflect the poor state of my body temperature.
3 am this morning 36.0°C
6 am 36.2°C
7 am 36.4°C
7.30 am (before getting up) 36.6°C
10.20 am 36.4°C (always drops after
breakfast)
1 pm (before lunch) 36.5°C
1.35 (20 minutes after lunch) 36.9°C
3 pm 36.7°C
5 pm 36.5
7 pm (before dinner) 36.5°C
8 pm (40 minutes after dinner) 36.8°C
9pm 36.6°C
Between
midnight last night and 7.30 am this morning, my body temperature never rose
above 36.4°C (reaching a minimum of 36.0°C at 3am). It then spiked around the
time I get up (7 ish). It also rose after mealtimes, but soon sinks afterwards.
It then declines after teatime and towards evening as it did so yesterday.
The
question remains. How do I increase my body temperature? And will it get rid of
the candida problem and help the good gut flora thrive?
Some
adjustments to my diet seems necessary.
More articles on Candida and Estrogen Dominance
My candida diary
Go back to Candida diet day 50
Go forward to Candida diet day 52 (beginning the heat producing diet)
Go back to Candida diet day 50
Go forward to Candida diet day 52 (beginning the heat producing diet)
